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Tires in Cold Weather...

Hey guys,
I've started riding a bit more now that the weather has gotten a little bit better (nothing compared to a few weeks ago) and after the post of one guy sliding out it was mentioned that the tires may have been cold and contributed to the slide.

What temperature would you NOT ride? I rode today with an indicated of +2C...I took my time and did everything slowly and no sudden movements so as to try and not upset the balance.

What are your thoughts? I'm concerned about the morning time temps as the afternoon is usually pretty nice by the time I finish work. My ride is primarily on city streets (Kipling Ave.) and I don't need to take the highway unless I'm running very late.

Re: Tires in Cold Weather...

you are doing the right thing. Just take it easy around corners and anything metal. I almost bit it on a -12 day during a right turn over a metal manhole cover, and that was after 20min of city speed riding.

Re: Tires in Cold Weather...

anything above 0, given that there was no chance of ice/freezing the night before. However, you need to ride accordingly, in particular the first few miles, like your on glass. Subsequent mileage in < 10 degrees should be ridden with slow smooth inputs, since the tire grip is less than ideal. Personally I use Q2 tires that I've tracked and I don't care about heat cycling, then put the warmers on in the morning for 20 min when its 0-5 degrees. Under normal conditions, they heat quick anyways, but dead cold tires are like driving on ice, espeically over painted lines in residential areas. Some will disagree with using warmers like this, but if you have them anyways, I think its safer in cold conditions. Be safe, slow and smooth inputs.

Don't be a road crayon. Pavement does not care how cool you think you look in a t-shirt and shorts

Re: Tires in Cold Weather...

The rider who had the lowside was making a left turn at an intersection at 60-70 km/h.

Now, that is waaay beyond the new riders' capabilities. You will nowhere near lean your bike that much and put side force of that level on your tires as the other rider did.

I rode in 0 to -10c many days with my stock tires @ 20,000kms (worn out) this winter, and you don't really have to pay extra extra attention or be paranoid about corners.

In terms of friction, I would take a -10c day over any rainy day.

What I do on some (rainy) days is playing with the rear brake. I try to see how much it takes to lock up the rear. You can have an idea how much of less friction your tires have compared to a regular, nice day. On cold days, I find out that I still have a lot of traction for a noob riding style.

Re: Tires in Cold Weather...

Originally Posted by mimico_polak

Thanks for the quick responses guys! I basically take it easy anyway but wasn't sure what grip is like on cold surfaces.

Riding in cold is okay, just have to be extra smooth on the throttle and don't try and carry lean angle through corners. Try and keep the bike more up-right in the turns, and plan ahead to leave yourself lot's of braking room so you don't lock-up your tires becuase they will slide very easily. Yesterday morning was supposed to be 1 degrees but leaving the east end at 7am was more like -2. It's still okay, dress warm and ride sensible to your conditions.